Perscription Prices
 

Bring your drugs , prices on the way up here!

New bid to raise medicine costs

13nov02
THE Federal Government has again moved to increase prescription prices.

Ageing Minister Kevin Andrews today introduced legislation to Parliament to increase prescription charges by 30 per cent.

The Opposition and minor parties joined forces in the Senate in June to strike down the proposal.

But the National Health Amendment (Pharmaceutical Benefits - Budget Measures) Bill again seeks to increase the price of scripts for pensioners by $1 to $4.60 and by $6.20 to $28.60 for everyone else.

The measures were outlined in the May Budget.

The Government said at the time the proposal was designed to stem the cost of the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS).

It warned the cost of the drugs subsidy scheme was growing at an unsustainable rate.